Congressional Cemetery

Your Guide

Congressional Cemetery, a 35-acre site located at Potomac Ave and 17th Street, SE, was established in 1807 as a burial site for U.S. public servants. Today, the cemetery holds over 60,000 individuals and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011. While the layout of the cemetery closely follows the geometry of L’Enfant’s street plan, a redesign in 2006 attempted to realign the landscape with the underlying topography near the banks of the Anacostia River.

The main access to the cemetery is through a set of gates which lead visitors down a wide tree-lined driveway toward a small church, resting on axis with a main east-west walkway. This location gives a sense of the cemetery’s scale and gently rolling topography as well as its relation to the surrounding landscape in Southeast D.C., which includes row houses to the north and west, a large city jail to the east, and the Anacostia River to the south.

A Tree-lined Sanctuary

Among those buried in Congressional Cemetery are one Vice President, one Supreme Court Justice, six Cabinet members, 19 Senators and 71 Representatives, veterans of every American war, Indian chiefs and tribesmen, and many other public servants.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Cenotaphs

Several areas of the cemetery contain distinct tombstones reflecting the large range of history of those buried here. One such area includes 165 Egyptian-inspired cenotaphs, honoring members of Congress who died in office.

Image: Liz Guthrie

The Chapel

A small chapel serves as a crossroads and gathering space in the cemetery.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Family Vaults

A row of family vaults show the attention to construction detail which symbolized high social status at the time.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Restoration Efforts

Many family vaults have fallen into a state of disrepair and require extensive restoration.

Image: Liz Guthrie

The Public Vault

Double wrought iron doors frame the entrance to the public vault, which stored the bodies of government officials prior to burial, including three U.S. Presidents.

Image: Liz Guthrie

State of Disrepair

Tombstones in various states of repose suggest a domino effect unless repairs are made.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Sousa's Tomb

A frequently-visited tomb is that of John Philip Sousa, composer of many military marches and conductor of the U.S. Marine Band.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Memorial Tree Grove

The Memorial Tree Grove and Lummi Indian Tribe’s healing pole is a more recent addition to Congressional Cemetery to honor victims of 9/11.

Image: Liz Guthrie

A Living Historic Landscape

Rowhouses overlooking the eastern section of the cemetery’s oldest tombstones provide a metaphor for the line between life and death and illustrate the proximity of this cemetery as a living memorial within a close-knit neighborhood.

Image: Liz Guthrie

Dogs Welcome

Congressional Cemetery’s park-like setting also allows a private dog walking group to use the site as a walking area, with members contributing to the cemetery’s annual upkeep through annual dues and volunteer time to restore the cemetery. The program has been nationally recognized for creative use of urban green space.

Image: Liz Guthrie

A Peaceful Resting Spot

Weeping branches provide a peaceful resting spot and a somber metaphor for this sacred space.